I slip, I slide, I gloom, I glance,
Among my skimming swallows;
I make the netted sunbeam dance
Against my sandy shallows.
Paraphrase: The brook slips by silently. Sometimes it slides. It becomes dark and looks sad when passes through dark places. It looks bright and happy in the sunlight. The swallows fly over it touching its surface. The rays of the sun fall on its surface and are trapped in. The reflected rays seem to be dancing brightly in the sun against the sandy shallows.
(a) What is the poetic device used in the first line?
(b) What does the brook make the netted sunbeams?
(c) What do these lines show about the nature of the brook?
(a) ‘Alliteration’ is the poetic device used in the first line.
(b) The brook makes the netted sunbeams dance.
(c) These lines highlight the carefree nature of the brook.